


PENITENCE - A YiZhan Fanfic

by Alteregofujoshi



Category: Wang Yibo - Fandom, Xiao Zhan - Fandom, YiZhan, 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV) RPF
Genre: Adult Content, BJYX | Wang Yi Bo/Xiao Zhan | Sean is Real, Boys In Love, Gay, Gay Sex, LGBTQ Themes, M/M, RPF, Romance, Shameless Smut, Smut, comeuppance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-13 20:41:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29657010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alteregofujoshi/pseuds/Alteregofujoshi
Summary: An affair between two unlikely parties, born out of time spent together working on a class project. Would both parties be bold enough to face the challenges that may come later?'As soon as the words left Yibo’s mouth, Zhan felt himself being pulled back. He didn’t know what happened after that but it turned out that Darren had punched Yibo and his two friends. They got into a fight.'
Relationships: Wang Yi Bo/Xiao Zhan | Sean
Comments: 8
Kudos: 37





	1. Chapter 1

Xiao Zhan pointed to the cotton candy stand opposite where they sat, “I’m suddenly craving one of those”. It was a sunny day, a good day to visit the park. Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo sat side by side on a bench under a tree.

“I thought you hated anything that tasted too sugary, what happened?”, Wang Yibo turned to look at Zhan who was smiling as usual. 

“Dunno…I just want to satisfy my cravings. I’d go get one. I’d get one for you too, maybe it would make you smile a little”, Zhan winked at Yibo as he went off to get some candy.

‘Smile a little…’, Yibo thought, ‘…does my face look that stiff?’. Yibo watched Zhan as he walked away. Zhan hasn’t changed much in the past 5 years since they first met. He only grew slightly taller and had shed off that baby face, revealing an even more gorgeous look. His long legs…well, his legs have always been long but previously, Zhan paid little or no attention to his dress style, putting on anything he felt like and ended up covering up his most astonishing features.

The first time Yibo paid any attention to Zhan was 5 years ago when they were still in college. Both of them had taken a class together in their 3rd year and they were paired together to work on a project. When Yibo got to take a closer look at Zhan, he was mesmerized by Zhan’s face. Handsome, everything in the right proportion and…the mole under his lips added a certain beauty to his overall charming look.

Yibo was quite popular for his good looks. He was tagged the most handsome person in the school but he felt Zhan could effortlessly take away that title should he make himself a little more visible.

After class, Yibo and his friends; Li Wenhan and Cho SeungYoun were on their way to the skatepark when Yibo caught sight of Zhan talking to another student around their age. Yibo recalled that face, he was the only person he had seen Zhan with in college. Yibo was curious about what they were discussing as they seemed a bit too intimate. Zhan was always reserved but he seemed to feel free around this person.

“Hi Zhan, can I have your number…”, Yibo was speaking to Zhan but looking at the person sitting next to him “…I will call you later tonight so we can talk…”.

“Ah… okay… here”, Zhan called out a string of numbers and Yibo saved it on his phone telling him to expect his call, before leaving with his friends.

“When did you become friends with Wang Yibo?”, Darren Wang, Xiao Zhan’s childhood friend who had just been given the stink eye, asked.

“We’re not friends, the professor asked the both of us to work together on an assignment. He wants us to meet up…that’s all”. Zhan gave Darren a brief summary of why Yibo had asked for his phone number.

“Reasonable enough but…”, he took a step closer to Zhan and continued, “…that doesn’t explain the look he gave me”.

“As for that, how should I know? Maybe you’ve offended him somehow. Darren, don’t drag me into your business with him”, Zhan turned to look at Yibo. He was barely able to get a glimpse of the purple stripped shirt he was wearing before he turned to a corner, out of Zhan’s sight.

True to Yibo’s words, he called Zhan that night and they both divided the workload in two. Each had to do further research on their part and meet up to discuss their findings. It would make it easier and they could finish faster.

Zhan and Yibo hardly spoke on campus but when they got to their dorm rooms, they spent most of the night talking, chatting and facetiming each other, exchanging ideas about their findings. Zhan seemed to understand everything but Yibo struggled a little. He often mixed up the important points and at the end of the week, Zhan figured he had to help Yibo sort out his findings if they were to get a good score.

“Email everything you have so I can put them together for you”, Zhan told Yibo as they spoke that night.

“Okay, that would be great but…isn’t it better if we did it together? This way, I would also get to learn. Except you're ready to allow me copy your work during the exams”, Yibo enjoyed teasing Zhan and watching him blush. He would blush so hard over the video call and continue blushing when they met. Yibo found this very…cute.

Both Yibo and Zhan subconsciously looked forward to their conversation every night, even though they barely spoke when they saw each other. Zhan preferred it this way. He had always been a reserved person. As for Yibo, he couldn’t put a name to what he was feeling. He only knew that he loved talking to Zhan, he enjoyed teasing him, he liked to sit a few rows behind him in class, so he could watch his every move and most of all, he hated seeing him with Darren. He wanted to be his only…friend.


	2. Chapter 2

Xiao Zhan was nervous at the thought of being alone with Yibo. It was weekend and they agreed to meet at Yibo’s room. Zhan had known Yibo since their first year. They never spoke but Zhan noticed him. His handsome face stood out anywhere. Girls often flocked around him and his friends but Yibo seemed to be a decent guy. He could be sometimes proud and rude but overall, Zhan found him decent. 

Zhan had changed his outfit more than 7 times but nothing seemed to look good enough. He regretted not taking Darren’s advice when he asked him to get a few good-looking pair of clothes in case he had a date. Date? This was definitely not a date! Yes, he and Yibo had been talking and yes, they seemed a bit close but…that’s all. 

Zhan felt a slight hesitation. How was he going to compose himself around Yibo, he had had a crush on this person for the past 2 years. He felt Yibo would never notice him, he was fine liking him from afar but it seemed fate had a different plan. Even now, Yibo only considered him an acquaintance. Once the assignment is done and they presented their work, they would go back to being the way they were.

Zhan thought of Yibo’s handsome face and lips, he had dreamt of kissing those lips for a long time. He imagined how Yibo’s body would feel if he touched him. He bet it was going to feel firm but warm. He imagined sliding his hands all over his chest to his abs down to his waist and then…Zhan suddenly realized what he was thinking when he felt his member poking against his trousers.

Zhan tried his best to pull himself together. He was already running late, he would take care of that throbbing member later, as he had done so many times in the past. He decided not to try on anymore clothes and settled for the classic blue jeans and white shirt, paired with black sneakers.

……

“Come in, the door is open”, Xiao Zhan heard Yibo’s voice from inside when he knocked. He pushed the door open and walked through a medium sized passage into the room. The room was a little bigger than his. The passage was wide enough to hold a large fridge and a sink. The sink was empty. Zhan could tell from a single glance that Yibo hardly used it. He probably had all his meals outside. There was a door leading to the bathroom on the passage. Zhan walked past it, he could tell Yibo was taking a bath as he heard the sound of the shower. He entered the room and sat on the single couch beside the large bed. Yibo’s laptop was open on the desk opposite the bed. Beside the study desk, Zhan could see Yibo’s skateboard resting on the wardrobe. 

Zhan heard the bathroom door open and Yibo walked into the room. He had a towel on his waist. His wet hair fell on his face, giving his already handsome look a striking charm. Zhan ran his eyes over Yibo’s perfect abs…

“Sorry I was taking a bath, I thought I would be done before you got here”, Yibo’s vice pulled Zhan back to reality.

“Ah, no need to be sorry…so…can I see what you’ve done so far?”. Zhan tried to act normal but he was blushing again. Besides, Yibo had seen him staring. Yibo was happy to invite Zhan over to his place. He had cancelled his appointment with his friends to hang out with Zhan. As for why, he didn’t know. He only knew he wanted to be with Zhan…alone.

“Let me get dressed then I can show you. Have you had breakfast, there’s food in the fridge. I got it for you”.

“Yes, I had breakfast, thank you. If I get hungry later…” Yibo was no longer listening to what Zhan was saying. He found himself walking towards Zhan. He sat on the bed, close to Zhan. Both of them kept staring at each other saying nothing. Zhan was the first to look down, Yibo noticed his ears were red. 

“Blushing again”, he scoffed. “Are you always like this? The more I get to know you, the more adorable I find you…”. Yibo wondered where he got the courage to say those words to Zhan. As for what he felt for Zhan, he had never felt that way towards anyone before. He reached out his hands and held Zhan’s hands in his own.

“Why do you keep looking at the floor? You're acting like you’re being bullied”, Yibo teased Zhan. Zhan’s palms felt soft and warm to hold. Yibo didn’t want to let go but he felt he was making Zhan uncomfortable.

“Check my laptop, I was working on the assignment before you came”, Zhan was disappointed when Yibo let go of his hands, he liked being held by Yibo. He could tell Yibo wanted to do more, he could tell Yibo was holding back. As much as he appreciated that, he didn’t want Yibo to hold back.

He got up to check the computer, Yibo was unable to take his eyes off Zhan. He didn’t fail to notice the bulge on Zhan’s trousers. Was Zhan aroused? He wondered if Zhan’s feelings and his were the same. Talking about feelings, what exactly did he feel for this person? He knew he wanted to be with Zhan, he wanted to spend time with him. Knowing that Zhan spent a lot of his time with Darren made him upset. He…. liked Zhan.

“Yibo…this is all done, different from what you showed me”, Zhan had gone through the work and it was perfectly done. He had no further corrections to make. He wondered how Yibo was able to fix it in such a short time.

“I…didn’t actually need help. I just wanted a reason to invite you over”, It was Yibo’s turn to blush. He smiled as he looked at Zhan who stood rooted to the spot, with his back towards him.

For a moment, Yibo seemed to have lost control of his senses. He saw himself walking towards Zhan and hugging him from behind.

“Zhan…”, Yibo buried his face in Zhan’s neck. For a while, none said anything and none of them moved. Yibo suddenly felt something warm…a pair of hands slightly caressing his hands around Zhan’s waist.

Yibo sucked in a deep breath. He expected Zhan to yell at him but this reaction…this was way better than he imagined. He placed a kiss on Zhan’s neck and the latter tilted his head sideways, giving him more space to do what he was doing. His hands around Zhan’s waist tightened as Zhan intertwined their fingers.

“How about we go out on a proper date next time?”, Yibo spoke beside Zhan’s ears and Zhan nodded in response. Both said nothing else but, in their hearts, they both knew they were thinking the same thing.

Yibo turned Zhan around to face him and planted a kiss on Zhan’s lips. He sucked on his lower lips, tightening his arms around Zhan. Xiao Zhan placed one hand around Yibo’s neck, pulling him closer. He opened his mouth slightly and Yibo shoved his tongue into Zhan’s mouth. Zhan sucked on his tongue, he had longed for this for a long time and he wasn’t planning to waste this opportunity. They kissed each other hungrily until Zhan started to feel weak in the knees.

Zhan ran his hands all over Yibo’s body, touching everywhere he had always dreamt of touching. Yibo was still wearing a towel so it was quite easy to touch him everywhere. Zhan hesitated for just a moment but with one pull, he undid the towel on Yibo’s waist. 

Yibo took off Zhan’s shirt and he was faced with a pink pair of nipples. He moved Zhan to the bed and placed him gently on it. He climbed up, hovering over Zhan. He teased one nipple with his tongue while he put his forefinger inside Zhan’s mouth to moisten it. Zhan sucked it and ran his tongue over it. The feeling of Zhan’s tongue on his finger made Yibo’s already erect member throb. He took out his finger, leaving Zhan slightly disappointed. He rubbed the moist finger on Zhan’s other nipple. Zhan started to moan slightly. His moans drove Yibo crazy. He knew he wouldn’t be able to hold on for too long.

Zhan, somehow sensing Yibo’s needs stretched his hands and took hold of Yibo’s member. The size was bigger than what he always imagined and it made him even more eager to have it inside him. He played with the moist tip using his finger and he could feel Yibo getting wetter. He began to stroke Yibo’s dick.

“Zhan…if you do that, I may not be able to hold on for long”, Yibo tried to plead with Zhan, he wanted to impress him, he didn’t want Zhan to see him as someone who lasted for only a few minutes. Zhan on the other hand was eager to make Yibo come. He tightened his grip on Yibo’s penis and started to move faster.

“Ah…Zhan…Please I can’t…”, the more Yibo spoke, the faster Zhan went. Yibo started to undo Zhan’s trouser. It didn’t take long before he was able to get Zhan out of his trousers. He held Zhan’s penis in his hands. It felt very hard, Yibo couldn’t resist the urge to take it in his mouth.

The unexpected stimulation made Zhan grab the bedsheets and moan loudly. The sound gave Yibo a lot of encouragement and he continued, sucking Zhan harder and faster. The stimulation was too much for Zhan. He tried to evade but Yibo position himself in such a way that Zhan could barely escape. He could only wiggle his body to match the rhythm of Yibo’s actions.

“Yibo…ah…it’s too much, I'm going to cum”, the thought of Zhan cumming made Yibo’s member swell a little more. He held his own penis as he sucked on Zhan’s, and started to stroke it slowly. He could feel his on pleasure building up. Zhan started to move his waist up and down, side to side. Yibo knew he was close. He placed Zhan’s legs over his shoulders and lifted his shoulders up, lifting Zhan’s waist off the bed. Zhan was now totally at his mercy. He could neither move to match the pleasure nor evade, he could only face it heads on, moaning loudly.

He grabbed Yibo’s hair, pulling slightly. He tried to restrain his moans to no avail. With Yibo’s hands on his waist and Yibo’s warm mouth wrapped around his member, Zhan could not hold on anymore. His body started to jerk as he poured his cum into Yibo’s mouth.

Yibo swallowed every bit of it. He knew Zhan had reached his orgasm but he didn’t want to stop. Zhan, having just experienced a toe-curling orgasm, could not bear the stimulation his already over sensitive body was receiving. His moans turned to pleading as he begged Yibo to let him to.

“Ah, Yibo, I really can’t…I can’t take it anymore… please stop”, as reluctant as Yibo was, he had to stop. He released Zhan’s penis from his mouth and placed him back on the bed. He kissed his belly button and realized Zhan was also sensitive there. He tried to kiss his nipples but Zhan pulled him into a kiss instead.


	3. Chapter 3

They kissed for a long time, fondling each other. “Do you have any lubricant”, Zhan asked when they tried to catch their breath.

“Yes, I do”, Yibo was reluctant at first to go all the way with Zhan because he wasn’t sure if Zhan was ready but to be asked this…what did Zhan mean? Yibo didn’t know what to assume. Was he supposed to use the lubricant on Zhan or was Zhan supposed to use it on him? As he was thinking, Zhan turned around on the bed, facing down, exposing that supple, well rounded backside to Yibo.

Yibo gulped, he hesitated for some time because he didn’t know where to begin. He wanted to bury his penis in Zhan so badly but to be faced with the real thing, he suddenly started to question his skills. What if Zhan was in pain, what if he wasn’t good enough…

“Yibo…get the lube. What are you doing”, Zhan’s voice brought him back to reality. Zhan was on his bed, naked, asking him to use the lubricant on him. He was ready, Zhan was ready.

Yibo reached over to the side and got a tube of lubricant. He squeezed some on his finger. “Tell me if you feel uncomfortable and I’d stop”. He parted Zhan’s butt cheeks and was faced with the tightly closed pink hole. The sight of it made his penis react. He released a little semen. He wanted to dive in immediately but he had to restrain himself, prepare the entrance.

He put a finger in with a little difficulty. He pumped his finger in and out of that tight passage. It clung tightly around his finger and he wondered if his penis was ever going to fit into the hole. He felt the hole loosen up gradually and he added another finger.

Upon addition of a second finger, Zhan’s muscle tensed up. “Are you in pain, should I stop? Actually, we don’t have to go all the way, I'm okay with us doing other things”. Yibo said so but he hoped Zhan was ready. If Zhan asked him to stop, he was going to do just that. He wanted to make Zhan feel good, feel safe and secure around him.

“No, it just feels…strange, not painful. Go ahead, don’t stop”, Zhan lied but Yibo could tell. With his fingers still inside of Zhan’s hole, he pressed a kiss on his butt. He sucked and licked him all over, leaving a few red marks. The sensation distracted Zhan from the slight pain he felt. His penis was already hard again. He wanted Yibo to dive straight in. He wanted them to be connected, he wanted Yibo’s body fused with his own.

“Yibo…I'm ready, go in”, Yibo added a third finger and Zhan gasped.

“Ready? No, you’re not. Just a little longer sweetie”. Zhan was grateful Yibo didn’t listen to him. It took a lot of time before he was fully ready. Yibo had four fingers in him and had used up almost half of the lube in the container to prepare him.

“You’re fully prepared now, I'm going in. If you…”, Zhan cut him short, “I know. If I feel pain, I’d ask you to stop”.

Yibo found Zhan too adorable. He never planned on entering him from behind. He wanted to see everything, his every expression as they merged together. He flipped Zhan over, applied more lube on his member and positioned himself at Zhan’s entrance.

He pushed in slightly. In a single push, half of his penis had gone in but it still felt too tight to go any further. He bent over rubbed his tongue all over Zhan’s nipple. He had already figured that this placed turned Zhan on. Soon Zhan's moans told him that Zhan was enjoying every bit of it. He took his dick out slightly and pushed in a little more. With every push, went a little bit deeper.

Zhan was in pain, though the pain was not unbearable. It was not as bad as he imagined. Zhan held Yibo around his neck and pressed their lips together. Anytime Yibo went bit deeper, Zhan bit his lips slightly. By the time his penis was fully in, he could taste a little blood while they kissed.

“Zhan…”, Yibo called out his name for no reason. Being inside felt better than he imagined. He started to move slowly and Zhan intensified the kiss. Being attacked from both ends, Yibo could feel his heart flutter. He wasn’t done yet but he knew he wanted to do this with Zhan again…forever.

Yibo moved in and out, his lips never separated from Zhan. Soon, Zhan started to moan right where their lips were connected.

“Zhan…”, Yibo didn’t know why he kept calling Zhan’s name. Every time he called his name, he said nothing. Zhan understood Yibo’s silence. He held him tighter, wrapping his long legs around Yibo. Yibo adjusted, supporting Zhan with his knees. This action made him go even deeper. He felt Zhan shudder as he moved in and out. He knew he was touching that spot.

He started to move faster. Zhan’s spot was easy to find, almost as if…they were made for each other. This position also made Yibo more in charge of their movements. As he moved faster Zhan’s moans got louder. Yibo was close to cumming but right now, Zhan was his priority.

“Yibo…faster”, Yibo went faster and harder. This made him go even deeper. Soon, Zhan’s words were incoherent. Yibo was so immersed in his feelings. He looked at Zhan’s face, his eyes were closed but the expression on his face…there was no way for Yibo to put it into words. He knew he was unable to hold on any longer.

“Zhan…I'm cumming”. As he said so, he went harder and this also pushed Zhan over the edge, his body spasmed and he came at almost the same time as Yibo, just a few seconds later. Yibo poured his cum into Zhan while Zhan’s cum was spread between himself and Yibo.

They both lay as they were, catching their breaths. Yibo was still buried deeply inside Zhan. “Zhan…I'm sorry, I was too much in a hurry. I really couldn’t hold on any longer”, Yibo felt he had to say sorry but Zhan felt differently.

“It’s fine. I could not hold on any longer also. I wanted it, maybe a little more than you did”. Zhan’s face was hidden in Yibo’s neck. He knew he would never have been able to say those words otherwise.

“Let’s go clean up”, Zhan felt sticky and a little shy. It was his cum after all. If it were Yibo’s, he would have been able to stay without feeling the way he felt.

“Let’s stay like this a little longer”, Yibo changed their positions. They were now lying side by side. He wanted his penis to remain inside of Zhan but it slipped out while he turned. Zhan decided to close his eyes for a few minutes and by the time he opened them, it was evening and he had been cleaned up.

……

“Why do you suddenly want to buy new clothes? Are you trying to impress someone?”, Darren was surprised when Zhan asked for his opinion. He felt Darren had a better style judgement and as his only friend, who else was he going to ask.

“I'm not trying to impress anyone. You once asked me to get a few nice clothes in case I decided to date someone. I'm only taking your advice”, Zhan wanted to tell Darren all about Yibo. Even though they never attached a label to their relationship, Zhan knew they both felt the same way. He planned to ask Yibo out officially but he wanted to seek Darren’s opinion.

“Is it Wang Yibo? I see the way you look at him. You can tell me and I’d go threaten him. He’d dare not say no to you. If you want him to come ask you out by himself, I will make that happen”, Darren made a fist as he spoke.

Zhan laughed, as always, Darren could see right through him. He felt there was no need to deny anything further. He told Darren all that happened between himself and Yibo, leaving out the topic of their entanglement.

“Zhan, if you're sure he likes you back, that’s fine. I'm only bothered that you happen to like that…”, Darren was going to cuss but he remembered this was the person Zhan liked, and he liked Zhan back. If they happened to be in a relationship, he had to get along with him or tolerate him at least. “…anyway, I'm happy for you. I was beginning to think your heart could do everything but fall in love”.

Darren made fun of Zhan and earned himself a mild beating. He concluded that Yibo was a bad influence. What happened to his previously sweet friend?


	4. Chapter 4

The class had finished their assignment and each group gave a presentation of their findings. Zhan and Yibo met every other day under the guise of working together, they barely did any work as Yibo made sure to finish everything he had to do before Zhan got there. They spent most of their time just talking, kissing and exploring each other’s bodies. They were both fond of each other but each of them was shy to ask the other one out formally. Yibo had since made up his mind to do it. They both knew they wanted the same thing. They’ve done all that should be and should not be done, there was no point delaying anymore.

Yibo was walking to the skatepark with his friends, not paying attention to what they were discussing. He was thinking about Zhan, where and when to ask him out. He was certain Zhan was going to say yes but he still wanted to do it properly. He wanted Zhan to feel special.

“Yibo…did you hear what I said?”, SeungYoun poked Yibo when he didn’t get a response from him.

“You seem distracted, is something the matter? You know you can talk to us”. Wenhan also spoke.

“I'm fine, I'm just…”, Yibo didn’t know whether to tell his friends about him and Zhan. They usually talked about girls, none had never mentioned being in a relationship with a boy. They were his friends after all and he felt they would support him. He decided to test the waters and see how they react. “…it’s about Xiao Zhan”.

“I knew it!” SeungYoun blurted out. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you. he hardly talks to you but his gaze is full of affection, how disgusting”.

“……”

“Yibo, under no condition must you get too close to that guy. He is totally gay. He wants nothing but your ass. Can you imagine a guy sticking his dick in your ass?”, SeungYoun’s face was full of disgust as he spoke. He even made a barfing sound.

“Yibo, why are you quiet? You look like you’re annoyed by what SeungYoun said. What he said is true. I’ve seen it. People talk behind your back you know. If you hang out with him a lot, people will label you gay. Do you want that?”, Wenhan was a bit more constructive with his words but his abhorrence for anything that pointed towards being gay was obvious. “Good thing your assignment is over. You have to stop talking to him at once and put those rumors to rest. People say they see him in your dorm often. SeungYoun and I have told them several times that you both have to work together, you have no choice. Yibo, you should put those rumors to rest”.

“Yibo…you’re too quiet for my comfort. Do you like him? Are you gay? Tell me so I can distance myself from you before people find out. I don’t want to be associated with such filth”, SeungYoun who noticed Yibo didn’t look too happy had asked him in a straightforward manner.

Both of his friends stood staring at him. Yibo had suddenly lost all of his nerve. He was going to tell them he liked this person in question but their reaction had worried him. He didn’t want to be the subject of people’s discussion. As for being gay, even though he watched gay porn and read novels about romance between two men, he had never liked a guy. Zhan was his first. Does that count as being gay? He didn’t have a problem with it but he didn’t want his business out in the open. He had a reputation to protect. He was sure Zhan would also prefer his privacy.

“No, I’m not gay and I don’t like Zhan in that way. We spent a lot of time working together and he is actually a nice person. I didn’t mind being friends with him but now that this has been brought to my attention, I think it’s best if I stayed away from him”, Yibo felt he had betrayed Zhan’s trust but he said what he had to say. He didn’t want his friends pursuing this any longer. They would definitely find out one day, he was going to prepare for that. Little did he know that his friends were far from over.

“Ah, good. Thank goodness our friend is normal. There’s only one thing left to do”, SeungYoun turned to the side and yelled. “Xiao Zhan, Wang Yibo has something to say to you. Come over here”.

SeungYoun had seen Zhan with Darren when they were talking. Zhan had given Yibo that look…that look he hated so much. That look that was unable to conceal Zhan’s feelings towards Yibo. People were talking and he felt this was their chance to absolve their friend.

“If Yibo wants to talk to you, he should come over, don’t go over there. Who does he think he is to summon you over?”, Darren didn’t like Yibo’s approach and tried to stop Zhan from going.

“Darren, I know you intentions are good but Yibo and I are already like this. Those are his closest friends. Just like I told you about us, I'm sure he also told them. Let me go over and hear him out”. Zhan sincerely felt Yibo wanted to make their relationship known to his friends. He dreaded this day but they had come too far. There was no going back. Besides, they were going to find out somehow. 

Darren was unable to stop Yibo so he decided to go along with him. 

SeungYoun’s voice had alerted a few passersby. Yibo was quite popular, everyone was interested in his business. There was also this rumor that a few people had heard about. Was it true? People began to pay attention to what was going on.

Yibo had a bad feeling but at the moment, he was dumbfounded. He felt Zhan was going to refuse coming over and his heart sank when he saw Zhan coming towards them. “I’d talk to Zhan later…”, he tried to get out of that situation but his friends were adamant. Yibo was in so much of a panic that he failed to realize a few other people were watching them.

SeungYoun put his hands over Zhan’s shoulders when he got there. “Zhan, I'm sure you know us even if we’re not friends. I only have one question to ask. Do you like our friend?”, SeungYoun pointed towards Yibo who had his face buried in his palms. He didn’t know how to stop them. He didn’t have the courage. He knew this was not going to go well. He wished he had the courage to stop them.

Zhan’s ears turned red. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing seemed to come out. He looked at Yibo, it seemed Yibo was shy. He wanted to deny but…he didn’t want to let Yibo down. He was sure Yibo had spoken to his friends. There was no need making things difficult.

“Hmm”, he nodded his head. The reaction he got from SeungYoun and Wenhan was not what he was expecting. They both burst out laughing. SeungYoun removed his hands from Zhan’s shoulder. 

“I knew it, he didn’t even deny it. How shameless of you Zhan. Bold, but shameless. Of everyone you could like, you decided to like our friend who is straight? How disgusting. I need to go take a bath so I don’t get infected by this disease. Why did I even touch you?”

Wenhan looked at Zhan’s face and he could see the confusion. He felt it was his duty as Yibo’s friend to correct this misconception Zhan might have. “Zhan, I'm not going to make this difficult for you. Yibo is straight and people are talking behind his back. We just wanted to make it clear to you so you wouldn’t develop feeling that would not be reciprocated. Yibo doesn’t feel the same way about you, just let him be, okay?”

Zhan’s eye had turned red. He didn’t feel bad that he was being made fun of. He was sad that Yibo said nothing and let that happen. If Yibo had told him this privately, he would have been able to take it. Just last night, they were in each other’s arms kissing like they meant the world to each other. He could tell Yibo had feelings for him but…Yibo never asked him out, he never said he liked him. Was it that Yibo only wanted his body? No, he had to hear it directly from Yibo.

“Yibo…what they said, do you have anything to say about it?”, Zhan was almost in tears, he tried his best to stabilize his voice but he was failing miserably at it.

“Yibo, say something. People are watching”, when SeungYoun mentioned that, Yibo realized people were indeed watching. He lost his nerve all over again.

“Zhan, it is as they said. I consider you a classmate, nothing else”. As soon as the words left Yibo’s mouth, Zhan felt himself being pulled back. He didn’t know what happened after that but it turned out that Darren had punched Yibo and his two friends. They got into a fight. There was no way Darren could win against two people. Yibo didn’t fight back. He just stood there looking at Zhan whose eyes seemed to have lost focus.

Zhan was in a daze until he felt himself being pulled away. He looked and found Darren’s face covered in bruises. Zhan offered to take him for treatment but he felt Zhan’s situation was more delicate than his.

Zhan didn’t know how he made it through the rest of the school year. There were a few people who witnessed the incident and soon, word spread around. People often pointed at him, he could feel their gazes as he walked by. A few people tried to be nice to him but Darren chased them all away. He often ran into Yibo and his friends and they walked right past each other. Yibo had come to his room once and unfortunately, Darren was there and he gave Yibo another round of beating, asking him never to return. Darren was his pillar of support through this time and he was happy when the school year finally ended. He and Yibo were not taking any more classes together. There was no reason for them to meet afterwards.


	5. Chapter 5

Yibo regretted his action. He never meant to hurt Zhan but he was too much of a coward and watched him get humiliated. He tried to call Zhan but soon noticed his number was black listed. He went to see Zhan once but found Darren there. Darren had moved in with Zhan, purposely to keep Yibo away. He only came across Zhan a few times on campus and under the gazes of so many people, he couldn’t talk to Zhan. He knew what he did was wrong. He admitted he acted cowardly. He wasn’t ready to face the world and he felt it was too annoying to keep pestering Zhan. What was he even going to say to him? He decided to let him be.

After that school year, he had spoken to SeungYoun and Wenhan, telling them his true feelings for Zhan. SeungYoun was being unreasonable as usual but Wenhan was more understanding. In the end, they both promised not to poke their nose into his love affair anymore.

Yibo laughed at their words. What affair were they referring to? The one they made sure to break? And they did so in the most embarrassing way. He couldn’t even show his face around Zhan. He saw Zhan a lot but he always watched from afar. Zhan never looked sideways or backwards when he walked after that. If not, maybe…just maybe Zhan would have noticed him standing there, staring, being sorry but being too ashamed to do something about it. Yibo missed Zhan, he missed his touch, he missed his smell. He didn’t even get to tell him how he truly felt, maybe that would have been something to hold on to.

He didn’t know what to do. He thought he knew pain, he thought he felt pain until the day he found out that SeungYoun and Wenhan had started dating each other. He confronted them and Wenhan claimed they were just curious about their sexuality, claiming Yibo’s encounter with Zhan roused that curiosity within them. Yibo knew Wenhan was trying to reduce his hurt but SeungYoun didn’t care. His words had no filter. He even went as far as scolding Yibo, calling him a cunt for not defending the person he liked. He said anyone who disrespected Wenhan would have him to answer to.

Yibo just laughed, he laughed at himself for being such a fool, for being such a coward. He wanted to scream out in pain. He loved Zhan to death but because he was afraid of what people would say, he left Zhan humiliated. Now that he thought about it, there were many ways he could have handled that situation, the best of which was to hold tightly to Zhan, declare his love for him in public. Since people were so interested in his business, he could have given them something to talk about. Instead, he took the easy way out, the most cowardly way out. He denied Zhan. Whenever he remembered the look on Zhan’s face, he wanted to punish himself so hard…but what was the point? Nothing was going to bring Zhan back to him.

After that incident, people talked for a while but they got tired. Zhan also got popular and people noticed his good looks. Zhan still paid little attention to his looks but the little change was enough to gain the attention and favour of everyone. Zhan didn’t socialize much but everyone wanted to be close to him. People who liked him subconsciously started to blame Yibo for embarrassing him in public. A lot of people, both male and female confessed their feelings to Zhan but he never dated anyone. He only kept on hanging out with Darren, he and Darren had moved in together. Yibo hated himself.

He never got the chance to talk to Zhan until they both graduated. Zhan went abroad for a year to study and Yibo lost all forms of communication with him. Zhan never responded to his emails, he felt Zhan no longer used that email.

Today, he was casually strolling in the park when he caught sight of Zhan and walked up to him. All those feelings came rushing back when Zhan raised up his head and smiled at him, that smile that he had longed to see for ages. After that incident, he had seen Zhan smile at people, especially Darren but never at him. Zhan behaved as if he was a ghost if they ever walked past each other.

Even now, he could tell Zhan was avoiding him. Why else would Zhan go get cotton candy barely two minutes after he got there? He remembered Zhan hated sugar, including cotton candy. He looked at Zhan who seemed to have no intention of returning soon. Zhan had been gone for more than 30 minutes. Zhan felt someone’s gaze on him and turned around, his eyes met with Yibo’s. Yibo smiled and waved at him. Zhan reluctantly started to walk back towards where they were sitting. He had no excuse to keep standing there.

Yibo felt this was his chance, he felt he could apologize and mend things with Zhan. He had learnt his lesson. The void in his heart could only be filled by this person. He had only been in love with Zhan his entire life and he was willing to do whatever it takes to get him back.

“Here, your candy”, Zhan stretched one stick to Yibo as he sat back down.

Yibo collected it, “Zhan…thank you, and I'm sorry”.

Zhan obviously didn’t want to talk about it as he quickly cut Yibo short. “What are you apologizing for? The candy?”, he tried to make a joke but the look on both his and Yibo’s face said it all. They both had a vivid understanding of each other. Merely by looking at each other, they could have an idea of what the other was thinking.

“It’s in the past, no need to say sorry. I’ve long forgotten about”, Zhan spoke, his voice held a bit of pain. “Your friends, are you guys still close?”

Yibo could not speak. He was yet to say anything when a child of about 3 years suddenly ran towards Zhan.

“Paaaapaaaaaa, paaaapaaaaa”, the child screamed happily as he ran. Zhan’s spirit was immediately uplifted.

“Ah, stop screaming. You're scaring everyone”, Zhan patted the child who had jumped into his arms as he spoke. A beautiful woman soon came, holding a bag that obviously belonged to the child.

“Immediately you saw your daddy, I became unimportant right?”, she pouted as she spoke to the child. Zhan and the lady talked in hushed tones after that. Even though he could not hear what they said, he could tell they were intimate. Had Zhan gotten married? He had a lot of questions to ask but Zhan suddenly turned around and spoke.

“We’re leaving first, it was nice seeing you again”, he didn’t give the dumbfounded Yibo any room to speak before smiling and walking away, holding the child in one hand and his bag on the other. The trio chatted happily as they walked. Yibo would never know that Zhan adopted that child and that lady was the boy’s baby sitter.

**Author's Note:**

> How did you find this? Please tell me what you think. If you liked it, kindly leave a kudos.


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